What to know about the shorter, all-athletes season of 'Dancing With the Stars'

"Dancing With the Stars" producers were excited to entice 47-year-old Tonya Harding to participate on the new season, which features athlete competitors. But Harding and pro partner Sasha Farber are long shots to win, according to odds-makers.
Instagram/"Dancing With the Stars"

A new set with a Jumbotron. A new trophy.

And just athletes.

Hold onto your score paddles, boys and girls. The 26th season of "Dancing With the Stars" premiering Monday night won't be like anything you've ever seen.

Athletes have been known to over-perform on "DWTS," with Emmitt Smith, Kristi Yamaguchi, Helio Castroneves, and Apolo Ohno all taking home the coveted mirror ball trophy.

So it's anyone's guess who in this group can best shake their bon-bon. The winner will be crowned on May 21.

"There's lots of current names, there's a lot of names of people who have come fresh out of the Olympics, which is fantastic," Llinares told E!

"So I think we've got a broad spectrum of different sports in there and different types of characters, different generations. I'm really happy with the cast. I think we've got a really interesting group of people."

Here are a few things to know before the show starts at 7 p.m. on ABC.

1. This will be an abbreviated, but intense season — four weeks, 10 couples. Because of that, says Llinares, "we're going to see things change very quickly right way through the season."

2. Notre Dame guard Arike Ogunbowale, who sank the game-winning basket in the NCAA women's basketball championship game, needed a waiver from the NCAA to compete on the show and remain eligible to play college hoops.

Her professional dance partner, Gleb Savchenko, relocated to South Bend, Ind., for rehearsals. They will fly to Los Angeles each week they compete. if she makes it past this first week, she'll have to rehearse for the show during finals week.

The NCAA restricts student-athletes from allowing their names, images and likenesses to be used for commercial purposes, according to Forbes, meaning she can't promote her appearance on the show on social media or anywhere else. Her coach, Muffet McGraw, can't promote her, either.

"But I think he is such a legend, he's so beloved by people, I think he's going to be fantastic," Llinares told E!.

He and partner Lindsay Arnold will dance the cha-cha to “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” by Stevie Wonder.

4. Producers were "excited" to entice 47-year-old Harding to participate. She comes with buzz from the Oscar-nominated movie, "I, Tonya," about the 1994 Nancy Kerrigan assault controversy, and it sounds like Harding is eager to redeem herself.

Kerrigan competed last year in Season 24 of "DWTS" and placed sixth, and Harding is well aware that people will compare them.

5. Figure skater Rippon is dancing with professional dancer Jenna Johnson, who was on tour with the "DWTS" show in February when their tour buses were involved in a deadly pile-up in an Iowa snowstorm.

According to Heavy, Johnson is in a relationship with fellow "DWTS" pro Val Chmerkovskiy, who has been performing and touring with his brother Maks and sister-in-law, Peta Murgatroyd, all popular pros on the show. None of them, however, will be performing in the athletes edition.

He and partner Emma Slater will foxtrot to “Centerfield” by John Fogerty. (Damon was an outfielder.)

7. The ballroom and trophy have had makeovers. A glitzy new Jumbotron will hang over the ballroom floor. The winner will receive a special edition of the traditional mirror ball trophy, with the word "athletes" on it.

Rippon and Johnson are the second-most favorite couple with 4/1 odds of winning.

The money is on Harding to go home first, with her odds of winning at 74/1.

"Despite the success of the movie 'I, Tonya,' we can't imagine Tonya Harding coming off as a sympathetic figure, especially since Nancy Kerrigan did so well when she was on the show," SportsBettingDime.com oddsmaker Kaela Napier told Newsweek in a statement on Monday.

"Mirai Nagasu and Adam Rippon are our clear favorites even though figure skaters have only won a few times in the past. They have a distinct advantage and always do well."